Adjustable container seal cover



April 21, 1964 R. J. SIEBELT 3,129,842,

ADJUSTABLE CONTAINER SEAL COVER Filed April 4, 1962 INVENTOR.

A T TOR/V5 Y United States Patent 3,129,842 ADJUSTABLE CONTAINER SEALCOVER Raymond J. Siebelt, 229 Velma Drive, Largo, Fla. Filed Apr. 4,1962, Ser. No. 185,037 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-93) This invention relates tocovers adjustably positioned in containers wherein a cover positioned ina container, such as a paint can, is moved downwardly as quantities ofpaint are removed from the can so that the open area between the levelof paint in a can and the cover cap of the can is eliminated, and thepossibility of the thick film that usually forms on the surface of paintremaining in a can is obviated.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a sealing cover for acontainer in which the position of the cover in relation to the quantityof material in a container is adjustable.

Paint cans and containers for other purposes, or for other products, areprovided with covers that are normally retained by annular beads infriction grooves in upper ends of the containers, and as quantities ofthe products are removed or used the beads are pressed into the groovesand the containers are substantially sealed with a pocket of air atatmospheric pressure in the upper part of the container.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide an adjustablecover for containers which eliminates all pressure on upper surfaces ofmaterials remaining in containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide movable covers forcontainers which eliminate open areas above portions of productsremaining in containers in which the covers are retained in adjustedpositions by friction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum seal cover fora container in which means is provided for relieving the vacuum tofacilitate removing the cover.

A still further object is to provide an adjustable vacuum seal cover forcontainers in which the cover is of simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in View the inventionembodies a disc designed to be positioned across a container and havingoppositely disposed sockets thereon, a handle having legs with outwardlyextended ends positioned with the ends in the sockets, and a valvepositioned in the disc when desired.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through a container showing an adjustablesealing cover in the lower part thereof and also showing a handleremovably mounted on the cover.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the cover with the container omitted.

FIGURE 3 is a cross section through one side of the cover, taken on line3-3 of FIGURE 2, showing a modification wherein a valve is provided inthe cover.

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the socket shown in FIG- URE 4.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denotecorresponding parts the improved container vacuum seal cover of thisinvention includes a disc 10, and a handle 11, the handle being providedwith a straight or vertical leg 12 and an inclined leg 13, and the legsbeing provided with substantially right angularly dis posed ends 14 and15, that are urged into sockets 16 and 17 on opposite sides of the discby resiliency inherent in the handle. The socket 16 is provided with anextension 18 through which a pin hole 19, for relieving vacuum or iceair trapped under the cover, extends, whereby in moving the cover 10from the position indicated by the broken lines 20 to that shown in fulllines in FIGURE 1, the cover is free to nest upon the upper surface ofmaterial remaining in the container.

In the design illustrated in FIGURE 3, a socket 21, similar to thesocket 16, is provided with an opening 22, similar to the pin hole 19,and a valve element 23 with a coacting valve seat 24, is provided in thesocket for closing the opening 22. The elements are positioned in avalve body 25 with a valve stem 26 extended from the element 23 throughthe valve bonnet 27 and having a ball 28 on the upper end.

The disc 10 is reinforced by ribs 29 and the periphery of the disc isprovided with an arcuate surface 30 which nests snugly against the innersurface 31 of the wall of a container 32, providing a seal. The socket17 on the opposite side of the disc, is provided with wings 33 and 34that are spaced to receive the leg 13 of the handle, thereby providingmeans for retaining the handle in an upright position.

To remove the handle the legs 12 and 13 are squeezed togetherwithdrawing the ends 14 and 15 from the sockets 16 and 17, and when itis desired to remove the cover the ends of the legs are urged inwardlyby the same means.

In use the conventional cover or end of a container is removed andpaint, or the like, used from the container. When a desired amount ofpaint is removed from the container the conventional cover is replacedby the disc or cover 10 with the cover held by the handle 11. The cover10 is held in an inclined position, as indicated by the dotted lines,with one edge in engagement with the upper surface of material in thecontainer, and as the cover is urged downwardly to the horizontalposition shown in full lines, air below the cover is permitted to escapethrough the opening 19. The opening may or may not be provided with aclosure, such as the valve 23, as may be desired.

The handle is removed to facilitate storage and packing, and when it isdesired to use more material from the container the ends of the handleare inserted in the sockets and the cover is drawn upwardly and removed.

From the foregoing description it is though to be obvious that acontainer vacuum seal cover constructed in accordance with the presentinvention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of theconvenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated,and it will also be obvious that this invention is susceptible of somechange and modification without departing from the principles and spiritthereof, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself to the precise arrange ment and formation of the several partsherein shown in carrying out my invention in practice, except asclaimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a container cover, the combination which comprises a containerhaving a continuous Wall and a bottom, the lower edge of the wall beingsecured to and integral with the bottom, the upper end of the containerbeing open, a disc fitted in said container and positioned with theperiphery thereof substantially in sealing relation with the innersurface of the wall of the container, open aligned sockets on the uppersurface of the disc, and an inverted U-shaped handle having a verticalleg and an inclined leg and having aligned ends at the open end of thehandle positioned normal to the vertical leg of the handle and extendedoutwardly from the ends of both legs, the ends of the legs of the handlebeing positioned to extend into said aligned sockets and being removabletherefrom by squeezing the legs together, and said inclined leg of thehandle permitting the handle to actuate the cover to a sloping positionto facilitate insertion of the cover and removal thereof from thecontainer.

2. In a container cover, the combination which comprises a containerhaving a continuous Wall and a bottom, the lower edge of the wall beingsecured to and integral with the bottom, the upper end of the containerbeing open, a disc fitted in said container and positioned with theperiphery thereof substantially in sealing relation with the innersurface of the container wall, said disc having an open'mg therethrough,a valve mounted on the disc and positioned to close said openingtherein, a valve stem extended upwardly from the valve and positionedto, selectively, close or open the opening through the disc, openaligned sockets on the upper surface of the disc, and an invertedU-shaped handle having a vertical leg and an inclined leg and havingaligned ends at the open end of the handle, positioned normal to thevertical leg of the handle and extended outwardly from said legs, theends of the legs of the handle being positioned to extend into saidsockets and being removable therefrom by squeezing the legs together,and said inclined leg of the handle permitting the handle to actuate thecover to a sloping position to facilitate insertion of the cover in thecontainer and removal of the cover from the container.

3. In a container assembl the combination which comprises a containerhaving a continuous Wall and a bottom, the lower edge of the wall beingsecured to the bottom and integral therewith, the upper end of thecontainer being open, a cover fitted in said container and positionedwith the periphery thereof substantially in sealing relation with theinner surface of the wall of the container, said cover having an openingtherethrough, a valve mounted on the cover and positioned to close saidopening, a valve stem extended from said valve and positioned to,selectively, open or close the opening through the cover, open alignedsockets on the upper surface of the cover, and an inverted U-shapedhandle having a vertical leg and an inclined leg and having aligned endsextended from the ends of the legs at the open end of the handle, saidaligned ends of the legs being positioned in a plane normal to thevertical leg of the handle, said ends of the legs of the handle beingpositioned to extend into said open sockets on the cover, and one ofsaid open sockets being provided with spaced wings positioned tostraddle the leg extended into the socket for retaining the handle in aposition normal to the cover, said handle being freely removable fromthe sockets by squeezing the legs together, and said inclined leg of thehandle permitting the handle to actuate the cover to a sloping positionto facilitate inserting the cover in the container and removing thecover from the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS283,958 Blossom Aug. 28, 1883 601,245 Fehr Mar. 29, 1898 1,206,090Carper et al Nov. 28, 1916 1,249,023 Busse Dec. 4, 1917 1,765,072Hashimoto June 17, 1930 1,978,025 McCown Oct. 23, 1934 2,172,457Schwartz Sept. 12, 1939 2,403,691 States July 9, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS98,374 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1923

3. IN A CONTAINER ASSEMBLY, THE COMBINATION WHICH COMPRISES A CONTAINERHAVING A CONTINUOUS WALL AND A BOTTOM, THE LOWER EDGE OF THE WALL BEINGSECURED TO THE BOTTOM AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH, THE UPPER END OF THECONTAINER BEING OPEN, A COVER FITTED IN SAID CONTAINER AND POSITIONEDWITH THE PERIPHERY THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY IN SEALING RELATION WITH THEINNER SURFACE OF THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER, SAID COVER HAVING AN OPENINGTHERETHROUGH, A VALVE MOUNTED ON THE COVER AND POSITIONED TO CLOSE SAIDOPENING, A VALVE STEM EXTENDED FROM SAID VALVE AND POSITIONED TO,SELECTIVELY, OPEN OR CLOSE THE OPENING THROUGH THE COVER, OPEN ALIGNEDSOCKETS ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE COVER, AND AN INVERTED U-SHAPEDHANDLE HAVING A VERTICAL LEG AND AN INCLINED LEG AND HAVING ALIGNED ENDSEXTENDED FROM THE ENDS OF THE LEGS AT THE OPEN END OF THE HANDLE, SAIDALIGNED ENDS OF THE LEGS BEING POSITIONED IN A PLANE NORMAL TO THEVERTICAL LEG OF THE HANDLE, SAID ENDS OF THE LEGS OF THE HANDLE BEINGPOSITIONED TO EXTEND INTO SAID OPEN SOCKETS ON THE COVER, AND ONE OFSAID OPEN SOCKETS BEING PROVIDED WITH SPACED WINGS POSITIONED TOSTRADDLE THE LEG EXTENDED INTO THE SOCKET FOR RETAINING THE HANDLE IN APOSITION NORMAL TO THE COVER, SAID HANDLE BEING FREELY REMOVABLE FROMTHE SOCKETS BY SQUEEZING THE LEGS TOGETHER, AND SAID INCLINED LEG OF THEHANDLE PERMITTING THE HANDLE TO ACTUATE THE COVER TO A SLOPING POSITIONTO FACILITATE INSERTING THE COVER IN THE CONTAINER AND REMOVING THECOVER FROM THE CONTAINER.